The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-04-26
THE TERRENEVAUGHS.
How They Go Sailing Out of St.
Malo Bay.
Imposing Ceremonies of Simple Breton
Sailors Who Annually $50 Down to
the Sea i'm Ships" and Often
Never Return.

On a granite rock in the English
Channel, ut the mouth of ;'ie tidal
River Rance, the blucst aud most hc b.
tiful stream in all France. stands the
walled town of II. Malo, once the cnicf
commercial city of Brittany. Every
spring q feet of taut little Lrip-r;racd
fishing vessels sails out of s.. A4io.
bound for the Grand Bank Of New
foundland, TO share with tie men of
the Canada coast. and the New Enc
land fishermen from Cape Cod ard
Gloucester. the catch Of cod that swarm
in those waters. These little vessels.
scarce larger than the mackerel schoon-
ers that daily float in and out of Boston
harbOr, are absent from France from
March till late in the autumn. The
dangers they encounter i'm fogs ant
storms on the Banks are many, anu
widows and fatheriess children are
numerous along the Breton coast.
Considering, therefore, the great
peril to which their husbands, sons
and brothers and sWeethearts are TO De
exposed, il is not surprising that the
departure of the TerrpneYaugh, is the
great event ~ lie Year along the
Breton coast
From their scattrrr, 80: f. Quarter,
In the harborS and cuycS .tiun@ the
rocky shore. ami from the villages on
the banks of the Rance. the YES, ..
come together in 81. Maio Bay by the
afternoon of the Sunday nearest the
sir:n@ tide, the day always fixed for
departure. 1t would he hard to imag-
inc Il scene of greater local interest.
Tie numerous vessels lie al anchor a
few hundred yards from the mainland.
w.liie hundreds of smaller craft Of
every description, independent OF the
regularly organized tenders, ply inces-
sanity between the little fleet and the
shore, bringing on board the crew,
with their outfits.
The noise of the mates and captains,
giving hoarse orders through their
speaking trumpets, the shouts of sailors
hailing recognized comrades on board
of neighboring barks, and the ever
shifting groups of prettily alfred
Breton maids and matrons assembled
on the long. eurving quay, and the
rocks and cliffs, to see, some
of them for the last time. the
faces of their loved ones, forms a scene
at once picturesque and sympathetic.
The time comes for the last leave
taking to be over. and the last fearful
adieu TO be spoken, for. at an appointed
hour every man of the fleet, nearly
four thousand men in all, must he on
board.
AT a given signal the white sails. like
the pinions oi sea-gTl'e a-c spread 10
the winds. the anchor il raised. every
flag is dipped. and the vessels are
headed westward whilst The crews,
with uncovered heads. n the sound of
saluting cannon from tie Soiif0r !
Tower dies AWAY. raise Their voices "a
"a farewell hymn: Ave MARS Stellar
Then, with slow and regular move, |
ments. the TerTentraueh> sweep cuL
into the ocean and gradually ta;lc away !
from the sight OF wives and children, !!
who look them "a last adiev. Not until /
the leaves on the great forest OF Pom !
tual that shelter many of their tbatch- !
rooted cottages begin 10 turn 10 red f,
and yellow hues. do any tidings come |
to the waiting women Of ,heir bread I
winners" ''far away on the ii!iow. for !
ignorance of the mysteries Of writing /
is an Inheritance of the Breton fisher I!
men.
The wages earned ly these toilers of
the sea are scant enough. Their paw
ranges from twelve dollars 10 fifteen
dollars month. But for the assistance
OF their sturdy wives, some OF them
would be in SAD straits 10 get through
Che winter on thea individual earnings.
Before the men start on their voyage
la the spring. they rent a small sa' Il
of ground and seed ii IN wheat Dur
ing the months of her husband. ab-
sence the wife and children DO all the
work THAI would have fallen to the
man had he been II home. The wheat
Is harvested by them and small area.
devoted TO buckwheat or vegetables, is
attended to. Usually, a bit OF land is
seeded In flax
They are famous helpmeets, indeed,
thes1 brown-faced, sirong-limbed fish
erS wives, They seem to think that
after marriage their highest duty on
earth is 10 wait on their husbands and
make them happy; and who can say
that they are wrong IN their philoso-